Yesterday I attended an informative lecture on contracts presented by Mrs. Endo of Toki Law Firm. Contract language is always difficult, especially in a foreign language. Contracts in Japan are typically very short, but even so, subtle nuances in language can lead to confusion down the road.
Three words to watch out for in Japanese contracts are the following:
速やかに quick
なになにと推定 presume
なになに＋等 and the like.
The interpretation of "quick" in contract language may not be clear. A preferred term being "直ちに", or "at once". Likewise, the interpretation of "presume" may not be as clear as ”とみなす” which means to regard as "equivalent". Finally, "and the like" is a very useful word in Japanese, but should never appear in a contract.